


THE FOUR CALAMITIES OF AN UNFORESEEN OCCURRENCE

by adoluvr



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Awkward Flirting, Biting, Domestic Fluff, Falling In Love, Found Family, Internal Conflict, M/M, Metaphors, Parental Death, Slow Build, and a little bit of humor, as always, one (1) unintentional sexual innuendo, post-grad, references to the war, reikao week, suicidal analogies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:02:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27402448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adoluvr/pseuds/adoluvr
Summary: Rei Sakuma, who had stepped grace into the stage of his life and taken his hand in his, silently berated him with a smile as he spun him within and through catastrophe after catastrophe, unharmed and thrilling. Kaoru's not one for the metaphorical inherently romantic imagery that constantly plagues his mind as of late, but there is no other way to understand the entity that is the Rei Sakuma of now. People have come and gone, played their minor roles and evaporated in the sun.There will come a day where Rei Sakuma will evaporate, too, Kaoru thinks. He's not sure if he's looking forward to it.But then again, he is never sure when it comes to Rei Sakuma.or, alternatively: reikao time. i go batshit
Relationships: Hakaze Kaoru/Sakuma Rei
Comments: 18
Kudos: 52





	1. THE FIRST CALAMITY: GRAVE

**Author's Note:**

> first of all i dont know what compelled me to take up the last four prompts in the last two days of rk week and compress them into one fic. second of all i am batshit. third of all i have a not good enough complex so if this thing gets orphaned by next week ya pretend that ya dont see it

Sometimes, Kaoru thinks, Sakuma Rei was born in a graveyard.

He's not sullen, no. He's a happy guy, he thinks. He's as cheerful as expected of a regular functioning human being. He cares more than the average human. He thinks more than the average human. He is wise, soft-spoken, and a comfort. He is everything but that what Kaoru had expected him to be like, when they'd first met and he had been nothing to him but an item to bring in a good income. Maybe it is this fact that makes him think so. He is not sure.

Then again, he is never sure, when it comes to Rei Sakuma.

Rei Sakuma, who had stepped grace into the stage of his life and taken his hand in his, silently berated him with a smile as he spun him within and through catastrophe after catastrophe, unharmed and thrilling. Kaoru's not one for the metaphorical inherently romantic imagery that constantly plagues his mind as of late, but there is no other way to understand the entity that is the Rei Sakuma of now. People have come and gone, played their minor roles and evaporated in the sun. 

There will come a day where Rei Sakuma will evaporate, too, Kaoru thinks. He's not sure if he's looking forward to it.

But then again, he is never sure when it comes to Rei Sakuma.

* * *

"Hey," Kaoru says, one particularly grey afternoon. It's a few days after they've graduated, and it still feels a little bit surreal. His grip on the mug of coffee in his hands clenches tighter, just a bit. "Rei-kun, do you have anything to do today?"

"You must realize that I always have time for you, Kaoru-kun," a sickly sweet voice answers, piercing red eyes blinking up to gaze into his own light brown. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing much, I-" He breathes in. Lets it out. Rei is looking at him with a curious expression on his face. "I'm gonna visit Mom, today. Since we, well, graduated, and all. That." Why is it hard to say this? "Do you want to come with me?"

Rei looks at him with a blank expression, as if weighing the words he'd just said to him. His arms are crossed over the tabletop in their shared apartment's kitchen, sitting opposite to Kaoru, who's now fiddling with the zipper of his jacket nervously. Was it wrong to ask? Is it too soon? It's a normal question, is it not? They're just friends. This should not matter as much as it seems to to him.

He hears a soft laugh. "Kaoru-kun wants to introduce me to his parents, already? Shall I ask for a blessing?" 

"A blessing?!" Kaoru almost stammers, cheeks flushing as he attempts to smack at the vampire from across the table. "R-Rei-kun, how can you say these things so easily?~" 

"I'm just teasing, my dear Kaoru-kun." He says with an easy smile, looking back at the blond with a fond, amused expression on his face. "It would be an honour to meet your mother." 

Kaoru sighs, exasperated. He looks at the coffee in his hands for a split second, moving to drink the remains left of it, before getting up to set the mug down next to the kitchen sink. The feeling of Rei's eyes on his back makes him shiver, just the slightest.

"Grab your coat, then. We're heading out."

* * *

It's windy. Windier than Kaoru had expected when he'd forced Rei to wear one of his larger coats just in case before kicking him out and then following suit. The grey sky is unmistakably greyer than it had been in the morning. Rei crosses one of his arms with Kaoru's before shoving his hand in a pocket, and Kaoru only halfheartedly registers this as they begin to walk.

It doesn't take long. Their destination is a 20 minute walk from their shared apartment, and Rei stops only once when they see a florist down the block, opting to go in and buy a small bouquet of an array of different, blooming flowers before he interlaces his arm with Kaoru's again.

* * *

The entrance-way is a large, decorative gate, leading forward to a small hill. Rei looks around with a frown on his face, and then back at Kaoru, whose eyes are becoming downcast with every second they walk. He does not point this out to him.

The top of the hill overlooks an ocean. It is windier here, but the skies are bluer. Rei's red eyes flit over at the scenery in silent awe, and he turns to Kaoru with a small grin on his features. "I didn't know Kaoru-kun had such an affliction with beautiful scenery."

"Mom liked the ocean view," is what his partner replies with, his own eyes staring into the vast sky. "She said it was calming, and brought me here a lot." There's a dull monotone in the usual deep, smooth voice, and Rei does not point this out, either. "It's been a while since I visited her."

Slowly, and surely, Rei connects the dots. His gaze flits from Kaoru to back at the ocean, this time with a small quiet demeanour not exactly unlike of him.

Kaoru does not know what comes over him. He slowly sits down on the grass, knees pulling up to his chest. He wraps an arm around them as he registers Rei sitting down next to him in suit, his head coming to rest on Kaoru's shoulder as soon as he gets comfortable.

"I've never really told you about Mom, have I, Rei-kun?" He laughs, breathy. "Aren't you confused?"

"Not in the least," is the reply, as the vampire snuggles against his body unconsciously. "Death is not a confusing thing for me, Kaoru-kun. In any case, I am positive your mother was a beautiful being."

Kaoru's breath hitches. "What makes you say that?"

Rei pauses, for a minute.

"I hope you will not mind me saying this," Rei mumbles. "But Kaoru-kun, you are my light. " A small smile covers his features as he sees the other man's eyes look at him with a dazed, confused expression. "If you are this bright, your mother could have only been the Sun herself."

Kaoru blinks up at him. For a second, he stares at him with an unidentifiable expression, before he forces himself to turn. "God, you're so dramatic, Rei-kun."

The blue skies turn violet.

* * *

Kaoru directs him to the grave, and the first thing Rei does is crouch down to gently place the flowers in front of it. He joins his hands together, and closes his eyes, as if praying, and Kaoru is just a little shocked - for all his insistent vampire methodology and norms, he had not expected him to pray. Rei cracks an eye open, and smiles as if he knows exactly what he's thinking.

"I'm asking for her blessing in secret, Kaoru-kun."

Kaoru scoffs, and turns to the grave. "Would you give _him_ of all people your blessing, Mom? I'd really doubt your values if you did."

"That hurts my soul, Kao-chan~"

"K-Kao-ch-c?!" Kaoru sputters, caught off guard. "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?!"

Rei laughs. The wind flutters just then, like in every cliche 1800s vintage, romantic movie Kaoru has seen. It's an incorrigible situation. He brings his hands to his face in retaliation.

A small ring disturbs the ironic tranquillity, and Rei pushes his hand inside his pockets to pull out his phone. He looks at the screen, and Kaoru briefly wonders back to to a few days ago when he'd sat the blond man down and asked him, a bit abashedly, to teach him how to use it. A small, indistinguishable feeling blooms in his chest as he sees Rei fumble around, and then his eyes flit up to meet Kaoru's with an awkward smile.

"I'm afraid I have been summoned," Rei says, a little fleetingly. Kaoru's expression drops, but he waves it over.

"That's fine, Rei-kun. You go ahead, 'kay? I'll just stay here to keep her company for a bit."

"Thank you for understanding," he says, before moving to bow to the grave. "I have much left to say, Mrs. Hakaze. I hope that we may come to enjoy each other's company more often in the future."

Kaoru's cheeks flush with colour. He attributes this to the winds.

"I'll see you at home?"

Kaoru blinks at Rei, and fumbles with his pocketed hands until he gets one out to grab Rei's, softly squeezing. "See ya at home, Rei-kun. Have a safe walk back."

They wave at each other, and Kaoru watches Rei as he walks away and out of the area, eyes never leaving his back until he disappears into the distance.

Home.

_Home._

Kaoru's chest aches just a little. He sighs, and catches himself in the middle of it before he turns back to the stone.

"Not what you think, Mom."

The wind flutters by smugly.


	2. THE SECOND CALAMITY: FEAR

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rei Sakuma looks from afar. 
> 
> They look happy, now. The ghosts of his past linger, but they are happy.
> 
> He looks down at the lost child.
> 
> You're never going to leave, are you?

The next three months are composed of mindless travelling. These trips are dubbed as a restoration period before the inevitable resuming of idol activities. After all, even the star players of Yumenosaki's UNDEAD can get tired.

Sakuma Rei calls this a restoration period, but the mind does not rest. After all, they've graduated.

It should be thrilling, he thinks to himself one night, when Kaoru's gone to sleep and he's in the living room with a bottle in his hands and his usually messy hair mussed up even more. His red eyes do not glint in the moonlight like Kaoru's told him they do. He drags his knees up, and lets his head fall on them. It feels wrong, somehow. It shouldn't feel wrong. It should be thrilling, exhilarating.

After all, they've stepped out into an inherently freer world. It does not feel free for him.

Sakuma Rei calls this a restoration period, yet the chains at this feet from years ago make no move to dissipate. They cling onto him like a lost child in a festival, and this time he cannot choose to let this child go. There are no options left for him, anymore. It has been years, but his regrets and fears do not dissipate. Maybe this is karma. Maybe this is Karma for all that he'd caused, all that he'd failed to consider, all he had failed to save. Sakuma Rei is not the type of person that forgets, easily. The child will cling onto him for years beyond, and will not fade out of existence.

* * *

He falls into the hole, again.

Like the rabbit's hole in Alice in Wonderland, it is never-ending, surreal, and painful. Sakuma Rei feels like he's leaving his old soul, blossoming into something more terrible. This is not the first time, and it is definitely not the last. His eyes close.

He wakes up to a fading existence clinging onto his legs. A head full of hair, drooping eyes, a weak grip on the arm of his jacket.

"Onii-chan," an indistinguishable voice says. "You're leaving me alone, again. Aren't you?" It is monotone, and accusing at the same time. Sakuma Rei feels his heart clench, and his eyes close again.

He wakes up to fire. A crowding spiral, and a head of blonde seated on a regal chair in front of him, basking in the flames as if it were a regular sauna. It smiles. A piercing through his chest, and Sakuma Rei feels his eyes close, again. It hurts. It hurts.

He wakes up to Yumenosaki's rooftop.

There is a fading ghost standing on the edge. It is all too familiar. He wants to go away, already. He's had enough.

"No," Rei calls out, weakly. "No."

The ghost turns, and smiles at him. It spreads its arms, and falls back. Sakuma Rei, possessed by his own weakness, stands up and goes after it. He places a foot on the same edge, and watches the ghost fall. Do ghosts even die? Where can they go after this, anyways? He slips, deliberately, and falls.

Falls, falls, _falls,_ because there's nothing left to do except for fall. There is no other purpose to the rabbit hole. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts so much.

* * *

Everything granted to you is taken away. There is nothing but a spiral of tall skyscrapers surrounding your every step, and it is suffocating. You put up a bluff, a lie, and become an illusion in other people's eyes, because that is what you inherently are: an Illusion. You do not impact people the way they impact you. You do not regard them the way they regard you. All the things here, right now, You Do Not Understand any of it. Because you are an illusion to them. You are a fleeting observation, and nothing more.

Your pain will never go away. The lost child of the festival takes away the rotting chains from your school years and ties new ones to your feet.

Rei Sakuma looks from afar.

They look happy, now. The ghosts of his past linger, but they are happy.

He looks down at the lost child.

You're never going to leave, are you?

* * *

Acceptance is a hard thing. The acceptance of fear is harder.

* * *

Kaoru wakes Rei up with a hand pressed to his forehead.

"Why'd you drink so much last night, Rei-kun?!" He scolds him. completely ignoring how Rei brings his hand up to his head with a small groan of pain. "I thought it was going to be "just a little sip?!"

"I..." Rei's eyes blink, as if he were in a haze. "It seems as if your old man got carried away..."

"Carried away," Kaoru repeats with a scoff. "Get up, Rei-kun, I'll make you something for the headache. You need to take care of yourself more," he starts scolding him again as they walk to the kitchen, Rei holding onto the arm of his sweater as he makes him sit on the kitchen table.

"It seems that I've caused Kaoru-kun some trouble again, this week," Rei mumbles, sheepish. "I apologize wholeheartedly."

"You don't have to apologize," Kaoru counters, instinctively. "You know you don't have to apologize to me."

Rei looks at him. For once, all traces of a wise-ass response vanish in an instant. "But.."

Kaoru points a soup ladle he's just picked out at him. "No. I owe Rei-kun so much, anyways. You will let me have this, at least." His light brown eyes are determined, and soft at the same time.

Rei does not say a word. He only looks down to his hands tangling together on top of his thighs, and gives himself the luxury of a secret smile.

"Kaoru-kun does not owe me anything."

* * *

Sakuma Rei, You Are Not Dead Yet. There Is No Need For You To Falter, Yet.

You can howl out your thoughts, still. The cocoon you reserve yourself into again, the skins you've shed over the years, you can throw them all away, still. It has been exhausting to play the fool over and over again, but it can stop. The unknown child is slowly fading, but you don't know this. You don't know this because you are living in the sheer illusion of things that have never existed in the first place. The chains are breaking, but you do not notice this because you are living in the sheer illusion of things that have never existed in the first place.

You still have a chance. You can throw away your fears, now. It is okay to throw away your fears, now. You have suffered the plight of the ghosts of your past for too long, now. There is a future to be made, and it will not begin until you are reborn yet again.

There are light brown eyes waiting for you at the end of the rabbit hole. You will descend. You just don't know this yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter uses the 'lost child of the festival' metaphor again. for context, i used this in my previous fic, a rei sakuma character analysis, and im too attached to let it go tbh


	3. THE THIRD CALAMITY: COFFIN

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I never thought the day would come," he offers in lieu of quietness. "Rei-kun, throwing away all his coffins? Is everything alright?" 
> 
> Rei looks at him with a smile. "Such tomfoolery does not look good with this age any longer, Kaoru-kun. I must learn to let go in order to move forward."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first of all let us thank adonis for existing

Contrary to popular belief, Sakuma Rei is capable of taking care of himself. And so, the drinking incident is forgotten easily.

Kaoru Hakaze does not forget his expressions. He forgets the context and he forgets the situation and he forgets the mental breakdown he'd had after the hangover soup but Kaoru Hakaze does not forget the look on his face when he'd thrown up everything in his stomach in the one shared bathroom of their apartment and the tears that had collected at the edge of his eyes back then. He shakes his head but he cannot forget it. The memory attaches itself like a leech in the back of his brain and his hand cannot extend far enough to pull it out. He will have to live with this for now.

It is Monday morning, a little while after this incident, and they are standing in front of garbage-disposal truck with their coats on and their arms crossed over their chests in a way humans normally look for warmth in the cold winds of winter. Kaoru Hakaze looks over at Sakuma Rei. 

"I never thought the day would come," he offers in lieu of quietness. "Rei-kun, throwing away all his coffins? Is everything alright?" 

Rei looks at him with a smile. "Such tomfoolery does not look good with this age any longer, Kaoru-kun. I must learn to let go in order to move forward."

"Inspiring." Kaoru smiles back, gaze shifting back to the truck now starting up. The two watch the vehicle move and drive out of their fields of vision before opting to go back inside. It feels a little emptier than before, but Kaoru waves it off with the excuse of a lack of furniture. After all, this place is still considerably new, and they haven't exactly had the luxury of time to shop. He makes a note of this at the back of his mind - next time, they're going to have buy some plants to liven up.

* * *

At midnight of the same day, Kaoru feels a hand brush against his cheek. His eyes open, and blink sleepily. Turning to his side in the direction of the soft contact his gaze moves up to connect with a sharp red, and he almost sighs.

"Hungry?" He mumbles. It's no new knowledge that Rei becomes more active with the coming of the night - this is something that has remained a constant through the years they have known each other. It is possibly one of the only constants that still remain. "There's some leftovers in the fridge." It is no new knowledge either that in the small time that has passed Rei has come to favor Kaoru's cooking over his own and, in any case, any form of takeout. It is both a blessing (feeds his ego) and a curse (the situation at hand). It does, also, feed into his little starving need for domesticity. It's not that bad.

"I'm afraid it is not that simple of a problem," Rei mumbles, and promptly turns. Kaoru blinks again, eyes narrowing towards the way Rei brings a hand up to his face and attempts to hide right into it. Immediately, a switch clicks in his mind.

Letting out an amused laugh, Kaoru says: "Is this about your beloved coffins, Rei-kun?"

"A-absolutely not," comes the immediate whine. "Kaoru-kun shouldn't make assumptions! This old man has problems much more worth than a box of wood from the younger da-"

"Stop being dramatic," Kaoru teases, half-asleep still but so, so smug. "What do you wanna do, Rei-kun?"

Rei purses his lips shut.

"It seems as if I am a bit restless, tonight."

"You're always restless, Rei-kun. No offence."

Kaoru opens his arms with a small smile. He does not remember the last time he'd felt so careless about intimacy, and doesn't dwell when Rei crawls wordlessly on his bed and buries his head into his chest. Kaoru wraps his arms around him comfortably, chin on his head, and closes his eyes again with a soft, satisfied sigh. Rei does not move an inch, other than adjusting himself into his arms a bit before he lets out a sigh of his own.

It's warm, Kaoru's small conscious supplies, before the night overtakes his senses yet again.

* * *

Slowly, it becomes routine, Kaoru notices one weekend when he's scrolling on his phone in the early hours of morning and Rei is cuddled up against his side under the blankets, cozy and warm. He also notices that he doesn't really mind it.

* * *

Koga and Adonis come to visit. They're about to graduate, soon, and it slowly becomes harder and harder for them to be able to visit their seniors regularly. Kaoru realizes that in between their hard work maintaining UNDEAD and their school studies, they still attempt to make time for Rei and him, and when Rei points out how it makes them feel like growing parents with loyal sons, Kaoru almost scoffs in an attempt to cover up his rising blush. This becomes Step One. To what? He doesn't know. Not yet.

Adonis brings grilled meat with him, and Koga Leon. Over passing time, the small dog becomes a source of energy for all them on the lazy Sundays the four of them get together. It becomes a regular Sunday exercise to play with him, Kaoru and Rei having even gone shopping to buy dog toys for the corgi.

Currently, said corgi is asleep on Rei's lap, who isn't very subtle about not knowing what to do with his hands. One of them rests on the top of his head, lightly stroking it, the other hanging in the air. Koga looks at him with a fretful expression that he doesn't quite voice or act out on. Kaoru tries to keep in his bursting desire to laugh at him. Adonis is the only one paying attention to the variety show on the TV in front of them with a mouthful of grilled mushroom and meat.

"Hakaze....senpai, how's the apartment life workin' out for ya?" Koga asks, still not looking away from Rei, yet uncharacteristically normal. "Adonis n' I were thinkin' 'bout getting one for ourselves after graduatin'."

"Aw? Puppy and Adonis-kun could always move in with us~ What do you say, Rei-kun?"

Koga's eyebrow twitches. Kaoru winks at him.

Rei's eyes do not leave the sleeping dog on his lap. "Hmm? There _is_ space, considering how my body has lately grown more accustomed to Kaoru-kun's warmth and has rendered my own space useless......"

There is a bout of silence.

Immediately, Kaoru grows red at the implications. Koga's dropped his anxious staring at Rei to turn wide-eyed at Kaoru instead. Adonis notices the quietness and looks back with a confused expression, mouth full of food. Rei realizes his own words a full 20 seconds later, and looks up with a defeated smile.

"It's not what you think," Kaoru says, quicker than he'd like. "He's just a natural cu-"

"Adonis an' I forget to visit for one wee-"

"The human body is a reserve of warmth," Rei interjects, and Kaoru's half-afraid he's going to bust into some sort of poetry, "It is the perfect energiser for cold mornings, for when I have to succumb to slumber-"

"One week, an' suddenly yer _sleepin'_ togeth-"

Leon wakes up.

* * *

"Sakuma-senpai threw out his coffins?!"

Adonis pats Rei on the head while Koga looks at him with an incredulous expression. "Good. Sakuma-senpai is growing stronger."

"Thank you, Adonis-kun." Rei says, sweetly.

"And," Koga says, in a tone suggesting that he's found out extraterrestrial beings do, in fact, exist, "You two hav' been sleepin' together ever since?"

Kaoru does not have the energy to look at him.

"Does this not mean Hakaze-senpai is like a phone charger?" Adonis says, effectively taking away all the heat of the conversation. Bless his little heart.

"Phone charger?" Kaoru asks, tilting his head in confusion.

"Phones need to be charged for us to use them," Adonis continues, albeit hesitant. He gestures with flailing hands as he continues. "So Sakuma-senpai is like a phone. And you're his charger."

Kaoru stares at him and tries to ward off the other forms of implications to this statement that threaten to flood his mind. Koga fails in this effectively, stands up to grab Leon, and exits the room.

"You're right, Adonis-kun," Rei cheers. "Our child has certainly grown more perceptive, hasn't he, Kaoru-kun?"

Adonis nods, satisfied at the praise.

Kaoru's palms meet his head.

* * *

After Adonis and Koga spend twenty minutes trying to separate Leon from a rubber ball and leave, Rei corners a jumpy Kaoru grabbing a glass of water in their kitchen.

"Kaoru-kun, please be honest with me," the vampire mumbles, as Kaoru downs the glass and sets it a little frantically on the table. "It is not a hard task for one such as myself to switch back to my own space. I do not wish to overstep your boundaries."

Kaoru grabs his hand, making him sit down on the table as a response.

"Rei-kun, you're not overstepping anything," He says, gently. "It's just been some time since I've been intimate with anyone like this." He lets out a grin, as if to clear the atmosphere. "I just need to step up my game, you don't have to worry about it~"

"Then, Kaoru-kun wouldn't mind if I use him as a charger in the future, will he?" Rei replies, relieved. He grins back at the blond, who goes red again.

"So bold," Kaoru sighs. "I won't mind."

This becomes Step Two.

* * *

If Kaoru looks around for a sizeable vintage coffin, then it is nobody else's business. It is only Step Three. To what? Are you confused? It's easy. Let us proceed to Step Four.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> over the course of the past two days wherein i forgot to post i have:  
> 1) made a writing/spam twitter and deactivated the same day  
> 2) drawn  
> 3) midterms  
> 4) forgotten about every living conscious being on this planet at least twice within a mental breakdown and as a consequence referred to my loving friend as a rat for calling me at 2 am to tell me about an anime they really adore  
> 5) sworn 5 times to god i would not delete this fic simply because i am embarrassed   
> 6) why are you reading this 
> 
> in any case. if you're sticking around, thank you for sticking around. if this fic is the charger to your phone, then as the phone developer i am extremely happy with the results even if im unable to show it. i wish you a happy day


	4. THE FOURTH CALAMITY: FAMILY

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> on god? i cant believe i fr finished this

Step Four.

It begins on a moonless night, the last weekend before Kaoru and Rei fall back into the no-break work of idol-life and no time left on their hands for anything else. Which, in hindsight, becomes a problem for the Fifth Calamity. They don't know about this Fifth Calamity yet, because in the beginning there was not supposed to be A Fifth Calamity. It becomes the unforeseen fifth consequence of the later unforeseen occurrence, and said unforeseen occurrence will now be the main focus.

As mentioned, it is a moonless night. Sakuma Rei has his gentle fingers laid across the strings of an electric guitar from their Yumenosaki days, strumming a tune that sounds awfully like something the previously revered AKATSUKI had been capable of drawing out - a regal, dominating tone commanding the attention of everyone present in its midst. Kaoru has listened to a fair share of AKATSUKI, obviously. His interest has always been subtle, but there.

"I wonder how Kei-kun's doing, lately," Rei muses, fingers pausing on the strings. Having effectively snapped Kaoru out of his thoughts, he smiles at him.

The blond hums. "We should expect wedding cards if we meant so much as we think we do, then." 

Rei blinks, then nods to himself. "Ah, my feeble brain nearly forgot about Kiryu-kun...always calling him 'danna'. With the way they interacted even back in Yumenosaki, it would not be an overestimate to think if they'd been married from the start~"

"Alas, I can't help but agree~"

Rei strums at the guitar, again. He picks up Valentine Eve's Nightmare next, Kaoru beginning to unconsciously hum the lyrics along, until the two of them find themselves singing in a broken, forgotten harmony, collapsing in laughter at the mess of their own voices a few minutes later.

"God, we need to get into shape," Kaoru says, clutching his stomach. "All those idle months have made us nearly useless."

"Kaoru-kun is right as always," Rei says, a little grin of his own etched on his lips. "It seems as if we will need to put in some extra effort, unfortunately."

"How troublesome," sighs the blond man, who drags himself beside Rei and puts his head on his shoulder, poking at the guitar. "Hey. You said you'd teach me after graduation."

"Did I?" Rei feigns surprise, "You'll have to forgive this old man for having such a short memory, fufufu~" Kaoru grumbles against the fabric of his sweater, arms unconsciously wrapping around his waist.

"Rei-kun's got to stop being so forgetful," he says, awfully sounding like a two-year old being denied candy, "Didn't you say once that you had magical powers? Make good use of them, you hag."

"It's not as easy as you think it is to summon them," the vampire replies, having set the guitar down. He turns and puts his arms around Kaoru's neck, the blond subconsciously pulling him closer by his waist till their legs tangle together and Rei's forehead is pressed against his, black locks cascading over his own blond. Kaoru idly wonders when Rei's hair had gotten this long.

"Hey," Rei says, quietly, eyes looking down at Kaoru's lips unabashedly. He's never been one to be shy in this regard.

"Hi," Kaoru says, trying his hardest not to sound like a high-school girl interacting with her crush for the first time. Which, in some twisted way or another, is exactly how he sounds like.

Rei's hand brushes against his neck, settling on his collarbone for a minute before moving under his chin, slowly, carefully, experimentally.

Step Four comes into play as soon as Kaoru tilts his head in consent.

Bringing his head closer, Rei's lips ghost over Kaoru's, sending the blond into a full-body shudder before he leans forward to connect them himself, tired of all the edging around and the lingering feelings poking them like needles every time they pass each other. Kaoru's arms around Rei's waist tighten. Rei smiles in the kiss, sharp incisors poking at Kaoru's bottom lip. Kaoru kisses him with a newfound fervour, and Rei responds to him just as strongly.

When they pull away to catch their breaths, Kaoru's hazed eyes focus on Rei's exposed fangs with interest. They're not usually this long, his winded brain-cells supply. It makes his veins vibrate.

"You.." Kaoru says, breathy. His hands move from his waist, dragging up to his chest. "Rei-kun, bite me."

Rei's eyes instantly widen comically. "What?"

"You heard me," Kaoru breathes. " _Bite_ me."

Rei visibly licks his lips. Leaning closer to his neck, he swipes his tongue over Kaoru's sensitive skin, effectively making him shiver. "It is far from a painless process, Kaoru-kun. I'll need to know if you're absolutely sure."

"I'm sure, holy fuck," Kaoru groans, putting his head on Rei's shoulder in a way that gives him easier access. Their chests are joined together, Rei notes smugly. "Bite me. _Please."_

The curse makes his breath hitch, but Rei lets out a laugh. "As you wish," becomes his last warning as his grip switches to Kaoru's waist, grounding him as his canines brush against the sensitive skin of his neck. He licks over it once, a failed attempt at a pain-reliever before he _pushes,_ breaks skin, _plunges._

Kaoru lets out a strangled noise as white, hot pain shoots up his nerves instantly, eyes pooling with tears and the fingers now under Rei's sweater scratching deeply into the vampire's back in response. He hears him hiss, but not stop. The first mouthful out makes Kaoru sweat, the second unbearably lightheaded. The third knocks the wind out of him, the previous active fingers weakening as Rei laps up his blood greedily, pressing into the crook of his neck like a man starved.

"R-Rei-kun-"

Rei forces himself back at the sound of his name, Kaoru's half-lidded eyes staring at the reddened fangs. He's clean about it, he notices, not a speck of blood around his mouth. "F-fuck, Rei-ku-"

A metallic taste floods his senses as Rei pushes against his lips again, forcing his tongue in within an unmistakable haze. Kaoru whines, kissing him back weakly, nearly failing to notice when he switches from his mouth back to his neck again quickly to lap up at the last dregs of blood leaking out of the puncture wound he's made on the blond's skin. Kaoru's hands fail in their grip, dropping to his sides as Rei places a last few kisses around his wound.

"Kaoru-kun should let me suck him dry," Rei mumbles, as soon as small instances of normalcy return to the situation at hand. Kaoru lets out a breath. "Your taste is absolutely divine," he continues, a sly smile adorning his attractive, clear-cut features, red eyes making contact with honey brown. It drives Kaoru internally wild.

"Rei-kun, h-how can you say it so easily?!" 

A high pitched sigh leaves Kaoru's mouth as Rei brings his lips to his again, giving him one last gentle kiss before he moves away. 

"Hey, Kaoru-kun," he says, obviously satisfied with his work. His arms have switched from his waist to on his back, rubbing small, soothing circles into it. "Ya belong to me, now. Ain't that exciting?" 

The momentary drop of the old man act makes Kaoru nearly reel. He leans into his warm touch, the sensations of the massaging helping the little sanity he has left recover slowly back into his cognitive state.

"I'm sure a demon possessed me just now..."

The vampire scoffs, never ceasing in his motions and he pushes a hand beneath Kaoru's thighs and stands up, holding him protectively against his chest. The blood coursing through his veins builds within him a newfound energy as he slowly walks over to their now shared bedroom, affections never ceasing until he places him carefully on the bed and slips in next to him.

The blond turns so he's facing Rei, one hand falling over his neck and fingers reaching up to his earlobe, touching and twisting the black ball pierced through. "You didn't drink as much as I thought you would," is the first thing he says. Rei lets out a snort.

"Is that fact plaguing your mind, still?" Rei grins. "After all, it was Kaoru-kun's first time, hm? First times are always a little gent-"

"It hurt like hell," Kaoru interrupts truthfully, snuggling up to the vampire, anyways. Rei's hand falls over his blond locks, twirling them between his fingers as he kisses his head fondly. "I thought vampires, like, forget their stream of consciousness while they drink."

He's blushing, again. It makes him groan. "I didn't think you'd stop as soon as I'd call out your name, Rei-kun."

Kaoru looks up at Rei, noticing how he's looking right back at him with a newfound warmth in his otherwise piercing, red eyes. He also notices the fangs poking out from between his lips that are completely clean, and shudders at the thought of Rei having had swallowed his blood down like a full-course meal. Was the thought of it supposed to be this hot????? What the fuck????

"Let's just say that I have some practice," Rei responds easily.

Kaoru stares.

Fuck?????????

"Right," he says, as if his nerves aren't spiralling into another dimension.

"In any case," Rei says, the hand on his hair pausing momentarily. "While the timing is a bit...comedic, Kaoru-kun, will you entertain a question of mine?"

"Hm?"

"Would you like...." Rei pauses, eyes just a little blown out and cheeks flushed red. Kaoru looks at him expectantly, half-lidded eyes gazing into the vampire's crimson. "Would you like to become....my significant......ah......." He coughs, and nervously looks away.

Kaoru blinks. He turns pink as soon as he realizes what he's trying to say, and looks away as well. "I...won't mind that, Rei-kun....."

"Then........."

".....yes?"

Rei coughs again. It is not effective against the heavy nervousness in the air. "I believe a dinner date is a popular 'first' move between couples..........."

"......"

"Unless K-Kaoru-kun would like to go somewhere else...?"

Rei turns back to Kaoru, who's hidden his head under the covers. His hand comes up to lift them, slowly, going down to peer at the blond, flustered mess. "Kaoru-kun?"

"I......would like the date, Rei-kun," a small voice comes out. "We can go to that new Chinese place downtown........."

The black-haired man finds himself smiling. Suddenly devoid of all anxiety, he brings himself to kiss Kaoru's exposed forehead, feeling him jolt at the contact. Grinning, he says, "It's settled. Kaoru-kun, would you mind coming out? I must look and treat your wound." Kaoru nods under the covers, and flails his hand in a gesture for a minute. Rei gets up to stumble down his own old, abandoned bedroom down the hall, pulling a few drawers and finding an antibiotic and some band aids.

Addressing the wound isn't hard, Kaoru notices. Rei's deft, practised fingers allow no room for more pain than necessary as he applies the medicine, carefully placing a band aid over his neck. His hands are warm, and Kaoru leans into them with the attentiveness of a cat. Rei's hand moves over from his neck to his cheek, watching him with a fond look in his eyes. Since when has he been this adorable?

"Kaoru-kun, I'm glad."

"Hm?"

Rei's hand guides him to lay down, pulling the covers over the two of them again. Placing a kiss on his jawline, his cheek, his temple, the lids of his eyes, peppering and peppering his face in love - Rei can't get enough. He holds him close, and Kaoru lets him.

"Thank you for letting this old man indulge in you," he mumbles against his skin, and feels Kaoru push at him.

"Ah, don't call yourself an old man when doing this, yeah?" He says.

The man in question laughs up at him. "Anything for you, my dear."

* * *

"An ode to yer bullshit!" Koga yells, guitar seemingly weightless in his arms. He slings it over his shoulder, and Leon jumps around him with the excited fervour of a fan-girl at a concert. "Y'two kissed each other's asses for so long it was becomin' downright depressin'!"

Adonis has brought a party popper with him. He pops it ceremoniously over Rei and Kaoru's heads as Koga starts shouting out whatever ode he's thought resonates with the situation at hand, giving them a little clap at the end. "Congratulations," he says, nodding at the both of them. Kaoru and Rei nod back with a soft smile on their faces, and a more forced one towards Koga's yelling.

"Well, isn't this a blast," Kaoru says, watching the corgi jump up and down in sync with Koga.

"Truly," Rei agrees, also watching the dog with raised eyebrows.

"We weren't sure what to do," Adonis says, a cup of tea raised to his lips. He blinks at his seniors. "Oogami almost bashed his guitar in while thinking, last night."

Kaoru turns to Rei with a sly smile. "Aw, look how much our child cares for us." Said child is currently busting up their ears, but they ignore it in lieu of the obvious sentiment. Rei rolls his eyes, but cheers at Koga when he starts shouting about how they're not paying attention to his heartfelt lyrics.

Adonis inches closer to the two to cheer at Koga on his own, as well, and Kaoru is left with no choice but to join in as well. The trio pump their fists in the air with practised sync as Koga belts the climax out, and Leon puts in a little howl of his own at the end. Kaoru bursts into laughter at this, leaning over to grab the corgi and pet him into absolute oblivion. Koga looks absolutely smug as he climbs down from their couch, joining the rest on the floor, cross-legged and satisfied.The night is long. There will, undoubtedly, be more odes and more songs and poems to sing the moon away with.

* * *

Mariya Takeuchi's Miracle Love plays somewhere in the world amidst the four souls spiralling into a fabricated reality. Because reality is never kind - it's what they've made of it that becomes the Fifth Calamity.

It's going to be a problem. There's going to be no more time asking to be wasted on leisure and there's no more time asking to be wasted on day-long cuddles.

Kaoru Hakaze looks at the Five Calamities in the palms of his hands and thinks: It Might Be Alright. This is a new beginning. A new family. A new group of people with personal sets of ambitions and goals that in hindsight will not hurt him. It will only make him happier. They will only make him happier. They are UNDEAD. In the back of his mind, there is an uncertainty.

It's uncertain, but it might as well be alright. They are UNDEAD.

The night is long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my final thoughts on this: kaoru and rei are both complex characters. and they are both in love. that is all
> 
> in the day leading up to the publishing of this chapter i have:  
> \- found out that i project a lot.  
> \- after an year of self-deduction reflection and constant anxiety, i am finally dropping out of college. i do not know where this will take me, but the knowledge that the day before i drop out ive released a chaptered reikao fic to the world will soothe me so  
> \- realized that mariya takeuchi's songs make me feel as if i'm a teenager from the 80s on a road-trip to self-reflection. in any case, there are a number of things that can make you feel like this. dropping out of college to pursue art in an unknown studio in a remote part of the world. peeling tangerines in the dawn of day with crickets chirping around you on a hot summer day. the first walk on the road in blazing winter with your hair making its home in your mouth. there are a number of things that can make you feel like a teenager from the 80s on a road trip to self-reflection.
> 
> in some twisted world, maybe the 80s road to reflection for reikao is the world they sew together after yumenosaki. the reality they make up together is something i as a simple romantic yearn for constantly. and that concludes my final abrupt thoughts on today and this fic. i hope you had a good time as well

**Author's Note:**

> if you did, for some unearthly reason, enjoy this absolute clusterfuck of thoughts, please consider leaving a comment or a kudos, or not, ur choice
> 
> interact with me on twitter @meikk_0


End file.
